Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) ****

 

It's appropriate that this film has such an all-encompassing name. “Everything Everywhere All At Once” is many genres of film rolled into one. It's a fast-paced, Wong Kar-wai-style kung-fu movie. It's a head-trippy sci-fi story about the multi-verse. It's an immigrant story and family drama. Finally, and most importantly, it's a philosophical smack-down between nihilism and existentialism.

Michelle Yeoh plays Evelyn Wang, a stressed-out mother, daughter, and wife. The laundromat she owns with her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) is being audited by the IRS. Her father (James Hong) is visiting from China, and Evelyn doesn't want him to learn that his granddaughter, Joy (Stephanie Hsu), is a lesbian. Meanwhile, Waymond is trying to work up the nerve to serve Evelyn with divorce papers. Into this scene of domestic bliss comes an alpha-male, kung-fu-fighting version of Waymond, who explains to Evelyn that he needs her help to stop her world and all the alternate universes from being destroyed. To do that, Evelyn must learn to verse-jump, accessing the abilities of alternate Evelyns to hold her family together, defeat a monstrous IRS agent (Jamie Lee Curtis), and save the multi-verse from a nihilistic baked good.

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” is a lot to take in, and it takes some time to develop this story, leading to a run time of 2h 19m. The movie does feel long at times, which is my sole criticism. Even the action sequences can go on a bit long. Fortunately, the film only drags in a few spots. For the most part, the outrageous action, absurdist humor, and amazing acting are enough to keep a person engaged, and there's enough food for thought here to keep you mentally chewing for days.

I think that what really sets this film apart is that it is a story about a middle-aged woman's problems, hopes, and dreams. Hell, at the beginning of the film, Evelyn doesn't even really have conscious hopes and dreams; she just has problems. Part of her journey here is to get back in touch with the version of herself that could hope and dream, when she is trying to deal with everything, everywhere, all at once.

4 stars out of 5